Stand with Cate & her child for LGBTQ Parental Rights

Hi, my name is Beth Muehlhausen, and I am raising funds for my dear friend, Cate Beaulieu-Desjardins.

Cate's child is a spunky, sweet, vibrant toddler born in July of 2022.

Our beloved Cate, whom we know and love as a colleague, researcher, (former) pastor, friend, mentor, foster mum, musician, and figure skater, is one of two loving mothers to her child. Cate and her partner conceived the child together after a 3-year fertility journey.

Their fertility journey was not without complications, including one unsuccessful transfer where Cate also attempted to carry her partner’s embryo but did not achieve a healthy pregnancy. Doctors suspected that a uterine malformation that Cate was born with could have been the reason for the unsuccessful transfer. As they had only one embryo left, they decided that H would carry their child. H became pregnant.

Overjoyed, Cate was present for every second - from watching the embryo be transferred on Facetime (due to COVID restrictions) to being at every possible appointment she could, hiring their Doula, catching the baby and cutting her umbilical cord, and taking parental leave from both of her jobs to care for her child as a newborn. Cate also went through the painstaking process of inducing lactation to co-breastfeed. She was able to breastfeed for the first six months of her life as well as provide hundreds of ounces of pumped milk as nourishment for her child and donate plenty extra milk to local families in need.

Cate’s former partner has never been open and out as an LGBTQ woman, something that - although Cate occasionally struggled with the secrecy and privacy - she respected as she firmly believes LGBTQ+ people should have the right to come out when, how, and to whom they choose. Unfortunately, after having their child together, it became more difficult to be secretive about their relationship with H’s family and H began to pull away, and isolate Cate in her own home and from her own daughter. Although the couple attempted therapy, Cate felt she had no choice but to leave the relationship, but tried desperately to stay in her child's life daily so that her child would not lose one of her parents in any way.

Since the romantic relationship ended, H has decided that Cate is not a parent to their child and has attempted to remove their child from Cate.

Prior to having their child, Cate served as a foster parent for infants in Ohio and learned deeply how important it is for children, whenever possible, to have access to and loving relationships with all of their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As such, Cate is not and would never try to remove her child from her other parent, H, and is asking the Philadelphia Family Court to award the two mothers shared legal and physical custody so that their child can grow up knowing both of her parents and her extended family on both sides.

Should Cate not be named their child’s parent, she will lose one of her parents unnecessarily. This would be a tragedy for their child. While on the surface this case is about Cate fighting for her rights as her child’s parent, she truly sees it as fighting for her child’s right to have access to and a loving relationship with both of her mothers and loving extended families.

Unfortunately, the emergency petition alone has cost Cate more than $50,000 in legal fees - and it is clear that H and her legal team will be filing many expensive appeals. Should the next court decision award Cate shared custody of their child - although there would be much to celebrate, such a decision will not be the end of the appeals process. Cate has had to put up another $15,000 as a retainer anticipating appeals and still owes her legal team for fees at the trial level.

As you can imagine, as a researcher in chaplaincy and a non-profit director, these bills are overwhelming for Cate.

Protecting their child from losing a parent and half of her family is Cate’s primary goal, yet winning this case will go beyond ensuring her child’s rights and future and set further precedent in Pennsylvania for LGBTQ+ parents to have greater legal protections. This is vital and important. A similar case currently being considered by the Pennsylvania Supreme court (Junior v. Glover) has laid significant ground for Cate & her child, showing how these cases build on each other and are about more than the individuals involved. Please consider supporting Cate & her child while also making a difference for LGBTQ+ parents in Pennsylvania, particularly non-biological parents in unmarried relationships. LGBTQ+ folks should not be forced to marry or go through expensive adoption processes for their children in order to have legal protections and rights as parents.

Thank you so much for your support. We hope to provide ongoing updates on this page to keep everyone up to date on the legal happenings and how best to reach out to and support Cate & her child.